It's a great feeling: Ganguly

Updated: 25 February 2007 09:06 IST

Indian cricket captain Sourav Ganguly today said his side's triumph was the result of "team work".

Reported by Indo-Asian News Service

Read Time: 3 mins

Rawalpindi:

Calling it a "great feeling" on beating Pakistan in a Test series on their soil, Indian cricket captain Sourav Ganguly today said his side's triumph was the result of "team work" and that hard work of the players was beginning to bear fruits.
The team had come close to winning overseas series a few times in the last few years but the remarkable victory against Pakistan was possible because the players had learnt from the past mistakes, a visibly happy Ganguly said at a post-match press conference after his team had thrashed the hosts by an innings and 131 runs to clinch the three-Test series.
Team game
"The victory against Pakistan in Pakistan will always be special. It's a great feeling, there's always a different charm when you beat Pakistan. There is a great rivalry between the two teams and we really fight hard," he said.
"In the past two years, we have come close to winning an overseas series but could not pull it through. We learnt from the mistakes. I think our bowlers did a great job on the first day. In the past we could not manage to get such a start, and everybody contributed for this victory," Ganguly said.
"Cricket is a team game, and no individual can win you the game. Somebody or the other has always come good. Sehwag, Dravid, Tendulkar, Laxman, Yuvraj all had some big score in the one-dayers and the Tests.
"Pathan, Balaji and Kumble bowled very well. Both the batsmen and the bowlers performed which made the victory possible," he said.
Good journey
On what was his feeling as the historic victory has made him the most successful Indian captain now, Ganguly said, "It's a great win for the team. When I became the captain, there were many guys who were starting their careers and were very young. They have now matured and have started to perform. It's a good journey for John (Wright) and myself and I hope we can improve."
Ganguly recorded his 15th win as captain eclipsing Mohammad Azharuddin's record of 14 Test wins.
Asked whether the team could have won the series 3-0 had they not decided to bat first in the second Test in Lahore, Ganguly said, "Rahul had taken the right decision. We had batted first on green tops earlier. It's just that we did not bat well in the morning session on the opening day."
"It's not easy to win 3-0 when you are playing away from home. Pakistan played well to win the Lahore Test. They are playing at home and were bound to fight back. It was a question of playing well in the last match," Ganguly said.
'Pak team will grow'
On what was the main difference between the two teams, he said it would be unfair to pull down the Pakistani team just because they lost the series.
"It takes some time to build up a good team. There are a lot of young and talented players in the Pakistan team. It is a transition period because many of the experienced players have left the scene. So we have to give them some time to grow. It is not proper to pull them down because they lost the series," he said.
Asked whether he would recommend Pakistan as a safe venue after the series passed off smoothly, he said, "Definitely. There have been no problems and the tour went off very well. We have enjoyed our stay in Pakistan. It's been more enjoyable because we have won the series."
High on confidence
Man-of-the-series Virender Sehwag said the tour of Australia had given the team a lot of confidence and self-belief that they could play well anywhere.
"The Australian series gave us a lot of confidence. It made us feel that if we can do it with the best team in the world, we can do it against anybody," he said.
Asked about any regrets, after he was dismissed for a duck here, Sehwag said, "I have no regrets, the team has won and that's the most important thing. Individual records don't matter." (PTI)